A February Visit to Bodiam Castle

We decided to visit Bodiam Castle on a bright February morning. I had incorrectly thought the castle is in Kent and could not figure out why it took us so long to drive there. Turns out Bodiam is in East Sussex and closer to Hastings than Dartford, so that explains it. I love castles, so much so that I have a dedicated label on this blog especially for all my castle-hopping adventures. I prefer ruined castles slightly over intact castles and Bodiam is a very fine example of a moated-castle ruin.

Bodiam Castle was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge. England was in the midst of the 100 Year War and Sir Edward built the castle (with the permission of Richard II) with the aim of protecting the area of East Sussex from a possible French invasion.

Unlike many castles in Britain, Bodiam was both completed and inhabited. It is reported that the Dalyngrigge lived in the castle for several generations before the male heir line died out and the castle passed by marriage to the Lewknor family.

By 1483, almost a century after the castle was built, Richard III of the House of York became king. Sir Thomas Lewknor had supported the House of Lancaster in the War of the Roses and so a force was sent to Bodiam and the castle surrendered. The castle was confiscated and only returned to the Lewknors when Henry VII of the House of Lancaster became king in 1485.

The Lewknor family owned the castle until the 16th century and by the start of the English Civil War, was in possession of Lord Thanet, a descendant of the Lewknors. Lord Thanet was a keen Royalist and he was forced to sell the castle to pay for fines brought against him following the Parliamentarian victory.

Bodiam Castle was purchased but dismantled and left to fall into ruin. It is only through the work of John Fuller (who bought the castle in 1829), George Cubitt and Lord Curzon that vital restoration work was carried out on the castle to deliver the ruin we know today. Lord Curzon left Bodiam Castle to The National Trust on his death in 1925 and the ruin has been open to the public since.

Bodiam Castle is unusual in that there was no keep built in the castle. Instead the castle was built in a simple quadrangle with chambers situated along the outer defensive walls and inner courts. A circular drum tower is located at each of the four corners of the castle and square central towers are located in the middle of three of four sides.

All of the towers are topped by defensive crenellations which highlight the castle’s defensive intent.

There are arrow loops in the walls and towers of the castle and impressive views of the surrounding countryside. The well in the castle has been preserved and possibly provided water for the castle inhabitants. They certainly weren’t using the moat as a water source for it is believed that is where waste water from the castle was diverted!

We were very lucky because the dark clouds that covered the sky for much of our visit did not break. It was also slightly warm in the sunshine but colder in the shade. By the time we exited to the castle to admire the sculptures, the sky was blue and the promise of spring was near!

Bodiam Castle
Bodiam, near Robertsbridge
East Sussex
TN32 5UA

Prices vary from £10 per adult and £5 per child off-peak. Click the link above for details.

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I was chatting with my Mum the other day and she complained that I don't post often enough here. I've always been a bit shy of posting too often. What do you think? Should I post more often here?

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Walking With the Snowman at Knole Park

The Snowman is one of the great loves of my life. I loved both The Snowman and Father Christmas books by Raymond Briggs and couldn't even try to estimate how many times I've seen The Snowman film. When I heard that Knole Park was putting on a Walking With the Snowman event, I wasted no time in borrowing two children and a baby and we braved the very autumnal weather on Sunday to track all twelve Snowman sculptures down. I'm fairly certain that you will guess the theme and will sing along!

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Eleven Pipers Piping

Ten Lords A-Leaping

Nine Ladies Dancing

I realise that I've cut off the dancing ladies on my landscape photo. They were very graceful!

Eight Maids A-Milking

Seven Swans A-Swimming

Six Geese A-Laying

Five Gold Rings

Four Calling Birds

Three French Hens

Two Turtle Doves

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

No visit to Knole Park is complete without seeing the deer but I was surprised how few we encountered on this visit. Perhaps it is better to visit Knole Park in summer?

Knole Park has made available a way to visit the park for free. You can park at the Sevenoaks multi-storey car park at TN13 1LW and walk into the grounds.

I would recommend parking at Knole Park itself postcode TN13 1HX but you may need to book ahead. When parking in the grounds, adults are charged £6 each for the Outdoor & Tower and £15 each for the Showrooms, Outdoor & Tower. Children are half price but there are also discounts for families.

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This is the part of the post where I normally apologise and make excuses for being so scarce. 2023 has been both the best and worst of years and so all I can say is that I’m trying to catch up with myself and will hopefully be back to regular posts soon.

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Meeting the Fallow Deer at Knole Park

I love deer. I don't remember seeing Bambi in a cinema when I was about 3 years old but my Mum loves telling the story of how I jumped up on my seat at a pivotal moment and shouted, "don't worry Bambi! She'll come back!" And so, for as long as I can remember, I've had an affinity for little spotted deer. On a rare sunny day this summer, I went down to Knole Park to meet the deer. Spoiler: it was marvellous.

The deer are everywhere at Knole Park. We had barely left the car park before we encountered our first deer grazing by the garden walls.

I loved that there was a ranger nearby, warning people from getting too close to the deer, and advising them to use zoom on their cameras. I very rarely unpack my DSLR for days out and I was so pleased I did so on this occasion.

I'm not a fan of zoos or establishments where animals are kept in unnatural environments, but I loved seeing the deer in their natural environment, and felt assured that the team at Knole Park work to put the deer first.

We learned that the deer at Knole Park are fallow deer (whereas Bambi was a white-tailed deer). I have to admit that I don't know as much about European deer but I can identify most South African antelope on sight.

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At times the deer would begin running and chasing each other. I managed to get a tiny bit of iPhone footage which I uploaded on Instagram.

We soon wandered off to a shady spot under a tree. We'd brought a picnic so we sat on picnic blankets, ate our lunch and caught up with all our news. It was such a lovely, relaxed vibe.

It wasn't long before the deer wandered over to graze on the incline in front of us. I could have watched them for hours.

Once we finished our picnic, we wandered over to the front of the Knole Park house to choose a walk. We decided on the Family Walk, a 4.5km walk in the grounds. The route is wheelchair and pushchair accessible and was meant to take 1 hour to complete. Spoiler: it took closer to 2 hours on that hot, sunny day!

As we rounded the garden walls to embark on our walk, we encountered this herd of female deer relaxing in the shade. They had the right idea - it was starting to get very hot indeed.

We encountered this lone stag grazing in the shade. Fallow deer have palmate (or hand-shaped) antlers and many of them were shedding their antlers after a spring and summer of growth.

We spotted an airplane up in the sky. England is so beautiful in the sunshine, I'm guessing everybody was out that day.

The family route is full of trees and rocks for kids to climb. We spotted this tree with a split trunk and were surprised it was still alive.

After climbing and running and skipping along the path, our group eventually made it back to the house at Knole Park. We'd promised ice cream as a reward and everyone seemed to get a second wind.

I took the opportunity to meet some more deer And eavesdropped as the ranger told a couple about the antlers and how they shed them.

Can you believe that I managed to live in Kent for sixteen years and had somehow never visited Knole Park? I loved my visit so much and will definitely return. In fact, they have a Walking with the Snowman event in November to January where kids* can discover 12 giant The Snowman sculptures.

*By 'kids' I include adults, of course. I love The Snowman so much, as much, if not more than Bambi if you base it on how many times I've seen the film.

Knole Park has made available a way to visit the park for free. You can park at the Sevenoaks multi-storey car park at TN13 1LW and walk into the grounds.

I would recommend parking at Knole Park itself postcode TN13 1HX but you may need to book ahead. When parking in the grounds, adults are charged £6 each for the Outdoor & Tower and £15 each for the Showrooms, Outdoor & Tower. Children are half price but there are also discounts for families. Considering how the deer are looked after, plus the pristine condition of the grounds, I'd say this option is worth it.

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A Sunday Morning in Corfe Castle

I'm full of British wanderlust today. I just want to find a little village and explore, take photos and eat cake to my heart's content. It'll be a little while before I can do that, so I'm reminiscing about one of my recent trips instead.

The day after the Bournemouth Air Festival, we decided to take a drive along the coast towards Tyneham (I think you're going to love my next post!)

Our first stop was the Dorset village of Corfe Castle where the ruin of Corfe Castle is located. I've wanted to visit this tiny village for years, since our trips to Cornwall and Lyme Regis, and I'm so glad we finally did so.

We parked off the A351 (exact details at the bottom of the post) and walked up the path past the ruin. We decided not to go inside on this occasion because Corfe Castle was not our final destination that morning but I'd love to visit again one day. We were blessed with wonderful weather for early September, it really did feel like summer was endless this year.

The village is so picturesque, with stone cottages and quaint shops.

We hadn't had breakfast yet that morning so we stopped off at the Village Bakery for coffee and Chelsea buns. We don't often find Chelsea buns that we like - they are huge in Johannesburg with just the right mix of cinnamon and icing - but these were yummy!

After our much-needed snack, it was time to carry on exploring. We left the square and walked past the St Edward King & Martyr Church...

... taking the opportunity to appreciate the views of the castle from the beer garden of the Bankes Arms ...

... before arriving at Corfe Castle Rail Station.

The rail station is a delightful step back in time, splendidly preserved with a nod back to the golden age of rail travel. The station opened in 1885 but was closed and very nearly demolished in the 1970s. It is a privilege to see it so lovingly restored today.

"From our picturesque station ideally located for the village you can catch the Swanage Railway trains to Harmans Cross and Swanage, as well as trains heading north to the Park & Ride facility and mining museum at Norden" - Swanage Railway website

The Swanage Railway Museum is located in the old Goods Yard at Corfe station and is open every day that trains are running through the station. You can check the monthly timetable here.

The station ticket office was absolutely charming and full of nostalgia, from the fireplace to the posters to the wooden bench. The ladies waiting area is located just off the ticket office.

We took the foot bridge over the tracks to the other platform. The view of Corfe Castle from the bridge is just incredible.

Located behind the platform to Swanage is the Boilerhouse Gallery, celebrating the work of local Purbeck artists.

All too soon, it was time to go and we took a long walk back to the parking area which really was conveniently located (and free!) as there is no parking at the station. Located just off the A351, next to Corfe River, the Plus Code is JWRR+G7C Wareham and the coordinates are (50.6413941, -2.0592499). There is also a paid parking at the National Trust car park close by, BH20 5DR.

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